“I’m glad you came,” Sebastian said to me as we walked toward the elevator doors in his underground garage.

  “Thanks for getting me out,” I replied.

  I’d needed it more than he realized.

  Knowing he’d been with King, I wanted to ask how he was, but I didn’t. That would be admitting he hadn’t called me but once.

  “This is a small gathering. If I let too many of this bunch into the main house, Dad would be livid. The ones here are all cleared by security.”

  I nodded, stepping into the elevator beside him. “Today is the actual race, correct?” I asked, knowing very little about the Kentucky Derby.

  “Yeah. We have a horse in every race. If not us, then other branches of the family. The Hughes—Blaise, he has the one who is running in the actual Kentucky Derby race. We all have some racing against each other in the other races. No one in the States has a horse that can beat Blaise’s this year. There is no point in even trying.”

  I didn’t care about Blaise Hughes, but I listened because this was King’s life. I wanted to understand all of it. This was important to him and the family. He had never taken the time to explain any of it, and I wondered if that was because he saw me as temporary. My throat burned as I swallowed. That thought didn’t sit well.

  “We’ve got a bartender working tonight. You’re gonna need to try one of the mint juleps,” he told me as the doors opened back up and we stepped out onto a floor I hadn’t been to.

  I shook my head. “I don’t feel like drinking anything with alcohol. Water is fine,” I replied, hoping he would let that go.

  He looked disappointed. “You sure? The females are all raving about them.”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Go order one if you change your mind or just let me know.”

  “I will,” I assured him.

  The noise was slightly muffled by the two heavy wooden doors ahead of us, but not by much. Laughter and cheering filtered through. It sounded like a lot of people, not a small gathering. Sebastian stepped in front of me and opened the door on the left, then stepped back, waving a hand for me to go inside.

  The chandelier that hung from the ceiling of the massive room made me think that this was normally a ballroom. Although right now, there was a wall covered in a screen with the happenings at the Derby displayed on it. Sofas, cushy chairs, a full bar, and tables full of food sat to the right of the space, and an ice sculpture of a racehorse sat in the center of it all.

  There was so much to take in, and I felt as if I needed a moment. When my gaze landed on a topless woman who had on a wide-brimmed hot-pink hat, I sucked in a breath.

  Sebastian moved up beside me. “I probably should have mentioned that. Clothing optional.”

  I didn’t move. Was he joking? I swung my eyes back to him in shock.

  He grinned and lifted an eyebrow. “Does that really surprise you?”

  I nodded slowly. Yes, it did. This wasn’t the lounge room in the stables. It was a … a ballroom they had transformed into something else.

  “I, uh, I’m not taking off my shirt or any clothing.”

  His smile grew. “Thank fuck. We’d all end up with a bullet in us if you did.”

  He placed a hand on my lower back in the exact spot King always touched. I almost recoiled and had to force myself not to react rudely. He didn’t mean anything by it.

  “Storm and Thatch are here. So is Wells. After the other night, Dad wanted all of us here that could be, so he sent me home,” he explained. “You saw how well Maeme handles things, but it doesn’t mean that Ronan wants her to. Well, any of them really. They much prefer that she not have to get her hands dirty.”

  Did King know now? He hadn’t called and talked to me about it. Was that even something he thought he needed to discuss with me? No, I was doing it again. I was letting my insecurities get the best of me. King was being kept from what had happened to protect him. He’d come back if he knew, and right now, Scotlin was his job. Not me.

  A guy with pale blond hair that hung straight to his shoulders took a beer from the bar, then turned, his eyes locking on me, and he smiled. The way he held himself told me he thought more about his appearance than he should. He was attractive enough, but he was maybe five foot ten, and his brown eyes weren’t anything special. They seemed to lack something.

  “Come on,” Sebastian said, leaning closer to me. “I’ll get you a water.” Then, he pointed toward the elaborate spread of food. “If you’re hungry, help yourself. The lobster and shrimp were fresh caught and flown in this morning.”

  I nodded but followed behind him, unable not to watch as the topless woman with the pink hat grabbed a fancy glass from the table full of shrimp that looked like it had already been peeled. She stuck one in her mouth, then turned around to strut back over to where Thatcher was sitting with another topless female on his lap. Was he with both of them?

  “I wondered where you had run off to,” the blond guy said, drawing my gaze from the woman back to him. “You always did have excellent taste.”

  Sebastian shook his head. “Not mine. But off-limits,” he informed him, then looked at me. “Rumor, this is Oriel. He is one of our newest trainers down at the stables. He’s also a friend of Wells from his college days.”

  The blond guy leaned against the bar, smiling appreciatively at me. “It’s nice to meet you, Rumor.”

  I smiled, not sure what I was supposed to say or even if I should say anything.

  “She’s King’s,” Sebastian said firmly.

  This didn’t seem to affect Oriel.

  He shrugged. “I’m just being friendly.”

  “Keep it that way,” Sebastian said, then shifted his attention to the bartender. “Water and my scotch.”

  “Or! Where’s my drink?” Wells called out from the sofa.

  “I’m being beckoned,” Oriel said with a shake of his head and a smile that was meant to hide the annoyance, but I didn’t miss it.

  As he walked off, carrying a glass of whiskey that he had taken from the bar, a glass of ice water was placed in front of me.

  Sebastian slid it over. “There you go.”

  I took it, then turned to see the screen while he waited for his drink. There was a sea of colorful hats as the camera scanned the crowd. Some people were talking about the upcoming race, but it was hard to hear over the noise in the room. I was just lifting the glass to my mouth when Scotlin’s face appeared with a floppy white hat over her perfectly styled hair. She was laughing, and I could hear her name being said just as she tilted her head back. That was when I saw him.

  King. Beside her. Looking down at her with a smile.

  She was so close that his hand had to be around her back. Like he did with me. My breath caught in my chest as I watched the next three seconds that they showed him. The room went up in a roar at his image on-screen, but it all seemed so far away. There was a whooshing in my ears. When the horses replaced them on the screen, I was still unable to move. I sucked in air. My lungs had started to burn.

  “She’s just a job,” Sebastian said near my ear.

  I nodded, wanting to act like I believed that. But she’d been so close to him. They’d looked happy. Like they fit. Two beautiful people in a world that I didn’t belong in. I swallowed hard and fought off the urge to run. At least no one was aware of my reaction. Just Sebastian. The others were drinking, enjoying themselves. I wasn’t their concern.

  Could I do this? Setting my glass back down before I dropped it, I clasped my hands in front of me so that Sebastian didn’t see them trembling. Falling apart right now was unacceptable. I had to act fine. Convince Sebastian I was okay too.

  “Rumor,” he said, leaning down close to me, “he wants you. I swear.”

  I nodded, but couldn’t force a smile. Not when my chest wanted to crack open. The sight of them was going to haunt me. He hadn’t called me but once. Seeing him with her … I wasn’t stupid.

  I turned my head so that I could look into Sebastian’s eyes. Read his answer even if he didn’t tell it to me. “Are they sharing a hotel room?” I asked him.

  There it was. The barest flicker in his irises that told me the truth.

  “Never mind,” I replied. “Forget I asked.”

  I didn’t want to hear him lie to me. I’d had enough lies. I didn’t want to know I’d been told another one.

  “He isn’t sharing a bed with her. That I can fucking swear to you.”

  No, he couldn’t. No one could. No one knew what happened behind the closed door. She was stunning. Absolutely beautiful. He was a man used to getting what he wanted and when. He liked things I had never given him, and now, I couldn’t. It would be dangerous to our child.

  Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply. I could survive this. I had to.

  • Twenty-Two •

  You weren’t supposed to fucking shoot him.

  King

  The Derby had always been a good time. The energy, excitement, thrill of the win. I’d grown up loving it. Yet right now, I fucking hated every minute. Standing here with my hand on Scotlin’s back while she continued to flirt and cling to me. I had to smile. Pretend I enjoyed it. Wanted this. I deserved a goddamn Emmy for this performance.

  I just had to get through this party. Pretend like I was celebrating our wins today. Manage another night in that fucking suite that smelled like the overpowering scent of Scotlin’s expensive perfume. Then, I was moving into another room and surviving one more day here.

  “I’m getting a drink,” I said, dropping my hand from hers.

  She turned to place her hand on my chest. “Oh, would you get me a mint julep?”

  “Of course,” I replied, holding my smile. Hoping it looked like one a man gave his fiancée instead of the disgust that I actually felt.

  Part of me had started to believe she had set this all up. Made up her own stalker or paid someone to do it. Just to force this. It was ludicrous, but I wanted out, and if I could prove something like that, I’d be free of her.

  Getting distance from her, I took long strides toward the bar, needing to get away. Fresh air. Needing … fuck, I needed to bury my face in Rumor’s hair and inhale. Run my nose along the soft skin of her neck and soak in the sweetness. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone to see if she’d responded to my last text. Still nothing. I’d sent her four texts and called every time I got a chance today. Maeme had assured me she was fine, not to worry. But I was about to call her again and make her put Rumor on the phone.

  Why was she ignoring me? Had they put some shit on TV about me and Scotlin and Rumor had seen it?

  My hand tightened on the phone as my head began to pound. This was bothering her. I hated it. I despised it. That hatred and fury were hard not to take out on Scotlin, especially when the world was watching. Just thinking about Rumor being hurt, I wanted to throw Scotlin away from me, demand she stop touching me.

  “What can I get you?” the female bartender asked, leaning forward with a bright smile.

  I wanted to roll my eyes.

  “Maker’s and a julep,” I replied, looking back down at my phone.

  I’d text her one more time. Check on things. Make sure she was okay. Just see her response. Know she was fine. I’d be back soon. Just one more day. Whatever was upsetting her, I’d fix it.

  Texting out the words, I reread them twice, then hit Send. Just as I lifted my head, I felt it. The warning. The shift in the room. Something was off. My eyes scanned the room, then went to the entrances. The gunshot was followed by the sound of glass shattering, then screaming. Frantic people dropped to the ground, yells, shouts, then running.

  My gun was drawn as I stepped around the man who had taken his date to the floor with him, blocking my path. There were seven other men in the room with a gun pointed. None of them the shooter though. They were all assessing, like I was. Gage Presley’s eyes met mine across the room, and the trademark smirk on his face was gone. The deadly gleam I’d seen more than once was there now. He nodded his head to the left, and I turned to see Levi Shephard covering Scotlin with his gun also drawn. The shattered glass was directly behind where I had left her.

  Fuck. Had that been for her?

  Huck Kingston stood in front of Blaise, and both men had their guns drawn. Ransom Carver, one of the members of the Mississippi branch, glared angrily as he scanned the room with both his Glocks drawn.

  Wilder filled the door, shoving past the people who were rushing from the room. His eyes scanned the area, then locked on me. He held it a moment, and there was a grim look that unsettled me.

  What was that look for? Not because Scotlin was shot at. She was alive. They had either been a poor shot or a warning. What was it Wilder knew?

  I moved toward him, stepping over people as security began to pour into the room. Lot of good they were.

  Wilder shook his head as I approached him. As if I was going in the wrong direction.

  “Scotlin,” was all he said when I reached him.

  “She’s fine,” I replied.

  “The glass cut her. She’s bleeding, and Blaise is watching you. Get over there,” he said under his breath.

  “What do you know?” I asked him, annoyed.

  The stricken look in his eyes made my stomach sink and my chest tighten.

  “Get to her before you get your ass shot for disobedience.”

  “Tell me,” I urged.

  “I can’t. I’m being watched. Just get over there,” he hissed angrily.

  Annoyed, I walked over to Scotlin, who was hysterically clinging to Levi, who looked uncomfortable and like he’d rather be anywhere else.

  Join the fucking club.

  When she saw me, she let go of him and threw herself at me. Small cuts were on her arms from the glass, and several trickles of blood ran down them.

  “OH MY GOD!” she wailed, clinging to me. “Someone shot at me.”

  “They missed,” I said, pointing out the obvious.

  Levi raised his eyebrows at me, and he looked like he wanted to laugh, but his lips didn’t even twitch.

  “Get me out of here,” she begged, holding on to me as if her legs had been injured.

  The people around us were all being led out by the security team, and the noise of voices, crying, and general hysterics got louder by the second. I’d happily like to get her out of here, then get on a plane south.

  “This way,” Levi said to me, then began moving toward the far-right exit, where Huck now stood.

  Blaise was no longer in sight, and neither was Gage. We were all leaving out a specific door for a reason. There would be more of us there too. This was an attack on someone we were protecting. They’d gotten that close to her in a room full of us, which meant they weren’t a poor shot. It was a warning. One for us. All of us.

  Huck grabbed my arm as I started to pass him. I looked at him, narrowing my eyes. He wasn’t the boss. He had about five fucking seconds to let go of me.

  “Go on in,” he told Scotlin with a nod of his head, leaving no room for argument.

  She looked at me, not letting go. I decided I didn’t mind him grabbing me any longer.

  “You’re safe. Go,” I told her, pulling my arm free of her hold.

  Thankfully, Huck’s presence made her nervous enough to listen and obey. When she was gone, I jerked my arm free of his hold.

  “What is it?” I asked him, preparing myself for more shit from Blaise that was going to piss me off.

  “Your orders are to protect Scotlin,” he said.

  Tensing, I clenched my teeth. “I was getting her a goddamn drink. This room was full of family.”

  Huck cocked an eyebrow. “We know. That’s not what this reminder is for.”

  Confused, I stood there, waiting for an explanation. “Then, what is it for, Huck? I’m here.” Not in Georgia, where I wanted to be.

  “It’s a reminder to stay by her side.”

  “Did I say I was gonna leave?” I shot back.

  He glanced over my shoulder, toward the door where Wilder was. I turned to see Wilder there, still looking like he wanted nothing to do with this. His expression was pained. I’d grown up with him. I knew him better than I knew anyone.

  “What is it?” I demanded angrily. I was doing all I had been told to do even though I hated every goddamn moment.

  Wilder sighed heavily and winced. He literally winced as he walked in this direction. Sliding his gun back into his holster at his hip. The closer he got, the heavier the weight on my chest seemed to grow. I didn’t know what it was he knew, but I could feel it as if it were a physical thing.

  “You have two minutes,” Huck said, then turned and left through the door behind us.

  My hands were fisted at my sides as I tried to calm the monster clawing inside me. Trying to take over. It wanted to break something. There was an unhinged craziness just under my skin. I’d never experienced this before, and I didn’t know how to contain it. What had triggered it.

  Wilder stopped, his eyes locked on me.

  “WHAT?” I shouted, unable to contain the rage building.

  “It’s Rumor,” he said.

  Her name seemed to be the trigger that my inner beast had been listening for. It roared to life as I reached for my best friend and grabbed his shirt.

  “What about Rumor?” I seethed, seeing literal red as I stared at him.

  “She’s missing.”

  The boulder that slammed into my chest took my breath.

  No. I shook my head, dropping the hold I had on him, sucking in air. “NO!”